


Casual Observers: the Nephew

by Browneyesparker



Series: Casual Observers [16]
Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Casual Observers, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen, Romance, girl meets world - Freeform, joshaya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-14
Updated: 2015-11-14
Packaged: 2018-05-01 12:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5206073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browneyesparker/pseuds/Browneyesparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time ago, in a state 1 hour and 48 minutes away, the Prince of Philadelphia met the Princess from Brooklyn and everybody around them knew their lives would never be the same. Even though the two kids didn’t know it yet. At least that’s how young August Matthews thought the story went.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Casual Observers: the Nephew

**.**

**Chapter 16**

_The Nephew  
_

_Once upon a time ago, in a state 1 hour and 48 minutes away, the Prince of Philadelphia met the Princess from Brooklyn and everybody around them knew their lives would never be the same. Even though the two kids didn’t know it yet._

At least that’s how young August Matthews _thought_ the story went. He had heard it so many times, he had started to remake it in a more interesting way. Because meeting on a summer’s day while Uncle Josh made chocolate chip cookies was just kind of. . . well, boring. It wouldn’t impress Dewey or Ava _at all_ if the story was ordinary.

But Dewey could care less about his uncle and his future aunt and he just confused Ava, even though she was one of the biggest Josh & Maya “supporters” that he knew. She had caught on that he was telling the stories wrong, she just didn’t know he was telling the stories wrong on _purpose_.

**.**

“Tell me your earliest memory of Josh and Maya,” Ava said one day.

“My earliest memory?” Auggie repeated. “Ava, I’m only six. I can’t really remember my first real memory of them. They’ve just always been there. . . together.”

“Oh.”

“The earliest memories I have of them are the stories,” Auggie continued.

“I want to know everything about them,” Ava told him.

“Of course you do.”

Ava sighed. “It isn’t fair that everybody else around here gets to know _everything_.”

“I know. You’ve said as much before,” Auggie answered, smiling at her and slinging his arm around her. “Come on, we’ll go and dig up some old photo albums. There are plenty of pictures of them together.”

Ava grinned at him, satisfied for the time-being.

“This is the time they ever danced together. It was at my Aunt Morgan and Uncle Mark’s wedding,” Auggie explained to her, a large scrapbook spread over both their knees, he turned the page. “This is when they went to a Broadway show, after Josh ‘found’ Maya’s smile.”

“Maya lost her smile?” Ava asked her eyes wide.

“I think it was. . . kind of well, you know. . . she lost it figuratively,” Auggie explained. “After her daddy left her. Josh was the only one who could get it back.”

Ava nodded in understanding. “I see.”

Auggie turned the page and continued telling her stories about all the pictures in the album because the stories were _truly_ his first memories of Josh and Maya together.

**.**

“He’s my uncle!” Auggie shouted.

“He’s my _husband_!” Maya shouted back.

Auggie released Josh then and put his hands up in mock defeat. He couldn’t argue with _that_. “Congratulations!” he answered, trying not to laugh.

He went over to Ava, who was smirking and he shook his head.

“I wasn’t going to say anything!” Ava protested.

“I’m just making sure,” Auggie answered, looking back at Josh and Maya and the rest of the night dragged on with comments about how Maya was too young for Josh and how Maya was in it for the long game.

And Auggie knew it all had to be an act.

**.**

As soon as Maya left, Auggie dialed Ava’s number.

“I think Josh and Maya had a fight!” He told her.

“What do you mean they had a fight? I didn’t think people like Josh and Maya fought!”

“It was about something really, really dumb,” Auggie answered. “Somebody asked Maya out and she asked Josh if she should go out with him. I don’t think it went over very well. Because she’s gone now. Riley thinks she went to Philadelphia to talk to him.”

“I’ll be right over!” Ava told him. “I want to be there when she gets back!”

“It might be a while,” Auggie warned.

“That’s okay, nobody will notice that I’m missing!” Ava said.

A few hours later, when Josh and Maya showed up at the apartment together.

“Ava, Auggie. . . you two better go to Auggie’s room,” Topanga told them.

Ava and Auggie both exchanged disappointed looks before taking their sweet time to do as they were told.

“Don’t close the door!” Ava told him. “I want to see if they get into trouble or not.”

Auggie nodded. “Right.”

They both sat near the door and listened in. Ava’s face fell when she realized that there wasn’t going to be any scoldings or punishments even though Maya _had_ left the city without permission.

Something really good came out of Maya’s impromptu trip to Philly. Everybody said things were back to normal between the pair, just like when they were kids. But even Auggie could tell that there was something different between them.

The long game was definitely afoot and it was as real as ever.

**.**

Auggie was lying on his belly, playing with his race cars while Josh read to Maya in the other room, he listened uninterestedly as he ran the red Mustang back and forth over his hand.

_“You pierce my soul, I am half agony, half hope. . . I have loved none but you_ ,” Josh said.

It was just a bunch of nonsense to Auggie, for once in his life he could care less about the exchange going on between Maya and Josh.

“I think he means it!” Ava whispered her voice laced with excitement.

“He most likely does,” he agreed, looking up at her. “Wait!? What does he mean?”

“That he has loved none but her!”

“Josh? You mean he’s not done reading that dumb book yet!?”

Ava rolled her eyes. _“Boys!”_

“It’s _just_ a school assignment,” Auggie felt compelled to remind her. “Remember? He asked her if he could read to her because he kept losing his place.”

“And so! I still think he means it!” Ava answered strongly. “I don’t think you saw the way he was looking at her when he read it. Don’t argue with me, August Matthews because you know I’m _always_ right.”

Only part of that statement was true, he hadn’t been paying attention to the way Josh had been reading _Persuadings_ but Auggie _did_ know better than to argue with Ava Morgenstern.

“Whatever you say dear,” Auggie answered.

“Good answer!” Ava said, petting him on the head before turning back to look at Josh and Maya

This time, Auggie _did_ pay attention. Josh had stopped reading and they were just looking at each other, not speaking until Maya took the book from Josh and turned to a random page.

_“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison,”_ Maya answered his earlier reading.

Auggie noticed that they were both smiling.

**.**

Josh and Maya were babysitting him and Ava, and somehow they had all started to dance.

It was probably Josh and Maya’s idea because they were always looking for an excuse to dance with each other because it gave them an excuse to touch each other or something like that.

They could do whatever they wanted, Auggie just didn’t care. Not really, anyways.

“It’s so romantic,” Ava giggled when Maya had rested her forehead against Josh’s.

Auggie smiled in agreement.

**.**

The whole entire family had taken a vacation in the Cape and Auggie was supposed to be in bed but the sounds coming from the other room were just way too alluring to ignore, especially for a little boy. He crept out of his bedroom as quietly as he could and spied Maya and Josh on the living room watching a scary movie on Netflix.

“Oh my gosh!” Maya screeched burying her face in Josh’s shoulder as the music intensified.

“It’s just a movie Maya!” Josh said, laughing a little bit but he put his arms around Maya and pulled her closer all the same. “It’s okay, I’ve got you! I won’t let Freddy Kruger get you.”

“Stop laughing at me, Joshua!” Maya mumbled.

“Sorry. I’m not laughing at you because I’m making fun of you though. You’re just so _adorable_!”

Maya peeked at him and laughed. “Stop it!”

“No, you really are!” Josh said. “Come on, we’ll shut off the movie and watch something else. Okay?”

“We don’t have to. . .” Maya told him as she snuggled closer. “I know that you’ll keep me safe.”

“Always,” Josh swore, pulling her closer.

**.**

“I can’t believe I’m _sick_!” Maya said as she covered a huge sneeze with the sleeve of her t-shirt. “And I can’t believe mom is in New Jersey at a cooking convention. I know it’s for her job but I don’t like it when she’s gone and I’m sick.”

“Geez Maya, it’s just a _cold_!” Auggie reminded her.

“Auggie, _hush_!” Josh scolded. “You were worse than her when you were sick a week ago. Remember?”

Auggie shut his mouth because his uncle was right, he _had_ acted like he was dying a week ago. Maya had nothing on him, she just wanted her mother. He couldn’t fault her for _that_ , lots of people wanted their mothers when they were sick

He watched as Josh pushed her hair out of her face and fixed the throw blankets that were covering her.

“Don’t worry about anything Maya,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you the whole time. Thankfully I have spring break this week, so I can look after you properly.”

Maya looked at him in surprise. “I thought you were supposed to be going to Cancun with your friends!”

Josh shook his head. “I would rather be here with the family and with you.”

Maya and Auggie looked at each other questioningly.

Maya shook her head as another earth-shattering shook her tiny body. “But Josh. . .” another sneeze. “I thought you were actually looking forward to Cancun!”

Josh nodded. “Yeah but Cancun isn’t as beautiful as you are, I’m sure.”

Auggie rolled his eyes. “Oh brother.”

“Do you know how sick I am?” Maya asked incredulously. “I bet my nose is as red as Rudolph’s right about now!”

“Redder,” Auggie offered.

“Auggie!” Josh said sharply.

“I’ll go and see if the chicken soup is ready!” Auggie said.

He peeked around the corner, Josh was _still_ fussing over Maya, fixing the blankets that he had already fixed and fluffing her pillows. Maya was just staring at him in the most unabashed way that he had ever seen her staring at him before.

When Josh caught her looking at him, he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She closed her eyes and caught his hand in her’s and that’s the way they stayed the rest of the afternoon.

Ava was not going to believe him when he told her that he had seen Josh kiss Maya even though it was just on the forehead.

**.**

_“You look so wonderful in your dress. . .”_

“Josh! We’re supposed to be practicing our song!” Maya protested as he plunked out the notes on the keyboard and sang from memory perfectly.

_“. . .I love your hair like that, the way it falls on the side of your neck, down your shoulders and back. .”_

_“Josh!”_ Maya said again, putting her hands on her hips and looking at him crossly.

_“. . We are surrounded by all of these lies and people that talk too much. You’ve got that kind of look in your eyes as if no one knows anything but us. . .”_

“Joshua Matthews, we only have three more days to learn this song! You better stop fooling around!”

_“. . .should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it’s enough for me. ‘Cause all that you are is all that I’ll ever need. . . I’m so in love! So in love,”_ Josh sang despite her constant beratement.

“I am dead serious. Stop fooling around now or I’ll call your mother!”

_“. . .you look so beautiful in this light, your silhouette over me. The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea. . .”_

_“. . .and all of the voices surrounding us here, they just fade out when you take a breath. Just say the word and then we’ll disappear into the wilderness. Should this be the last thing I see, I want you to know it’s enough for me. ‘Cause all that you are is all I’ll ever need. . .”_ Josh paused for a second and looked straight at Maya. _“I’m so in love!”_

Auggie’s eyes widened from his spot behind the couch.

In his mind, the lyrics were as good as an outright confession. He knew it and God knew it too, but he wasn’t so sure his uncle and Maya knew it. They most likely did but like everything else between them, they were choosing to ignore it.

Typical Josh and Maya.

Auggie was getting pretty sick of them and the way they constantly danced around what was between them.

It was _so_ annoying!

_They_ were so annoying!

**.**

It happened on New Year’s Eve.

Auggie felt like everybody was going to release a sigh of collective relief when Josh and Maya _finally_ kissed when the ball dropped. It lasted a little too long for a celebratory kiss and when they had pulled away, they both ran to opposite ends of the house instead of going off together and _finally_ talking about a dozen years of the suppressed feelings between them.

Ava was standing beside him, fuming.  Riley followed Maya while his dad trailed after Josh.

Auggie sighed in relief.

His father would help sort everything out. He usually did.

**.**

They were getting married.

Auggie smoothed out his bowtie and smiled at himself in the mirror, giving himself a thumb’s up while Josh fidgeted with his own bowtie beside him.

“Calm down man, you’ve loved her since you were a little boy!” Auggie said. “What gives?”

“What if she changes her mind?”

“She’s not going to change her mind Josh.”

“How do you know Cory?”

“Because she’s loved you for just as long,” Cory told him.

Auggie nodded even though he still only knew that she had loved him that long because of the stories but still, it felt right to reassure him especially given how precarious the situation could be if he didn’t agree with him.

“You’re going to do _great_ ,” Auggie added, smiling at him and he really meant it because he had always believed it.

He was still rooting for them.

His uncle and his new aunt.

They would find their happily ever after.

 

**_The End_**

**.**

 

**Author's Note:**

> One more and then I’m done with this universe. I’m probably going to take a break the week after next because it’s the day after Thanksgiving and I have plans. It’s the kickoff of our huge Christmas celebration. Anyways, I’ll make official announcements next week. In the meantime, I hope you’ll tell me what you thought of this piece. I didn’t think it would be this long but it turned out that I was wrong.
> 
> In case you missed it, I have four or five stories posted for Joshaya Appreciation week on tumblr. You can check those out if you’d like. Lastly, keep me in your thoughts. I have a procedure on Wednesday. Routine stuff, just checking my reflux. BUT if I get a good report, I won’t need another one until I’m 35.


End file.
